This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-4692, filed Jan. 13, 2000; the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a data transfer system and a data transfer method for transferring data between a transmission apparatus and a reception apparatus.
Generally, dictation is one of the uses of a voice recording and reproducing apparatus, namely a tape recorder. For example, dictation uses the tape recorder to record on a recording tape the content of a read-aloud document to be created on paper. The recorded tape is handed over to a secretary or the like. The secretary or the like plays back the recording tape and types the document by listening to the played back voice. Alternatively, the content of a meeting may be recorded for later creating minutes by listening to the recorded content.
In recent years, an increasing demand for compactness has encouraged development of a voice recording and reproducing apparatus which uses semiconductor memory as a storage medium instead of a magnetic tape.
Some such apparatuses using semiconductor memory for recording voice data make the semiconductor memory undetachable from the body of the apparatus. When this apparatus is used for the dictation, the recorded voice data needs to be submitted to the secretary or the like for typing. It may be necessary to use voice data recorded in this semiconductor memory on an external apparatus such as a voice reproduction apparatus other than the voice data recording and reproducing apparatus. In this case, a cable or the like is connected to the external apparatus to transfer the voice data.
Along with the widespread use of personal computers (PCs), a PC-based word processor is used for typing in most cases. Many PCs have a sound capability, making it possible to reproduce voice data from a speaker connected to the PC. It is becoming an increasingly popular practice to transfer the voice data from the voice data recording and reproducing apparatus to the PC and use the word processor for typing by playing back the voice data on the PC.
Incidentally, it is becoming commonplace to use PCs having the USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface specification which is compliant with the so-called Plug and Play capability and enables connection of many devices. Using the USB connection makes it possible to extremely fast transfer voice data from the voice data recording and reproducing apparatus to the PC compared to conventional data transfer using connection of a cable such as a serial cable.
On the other hand, when transferring data to the PC, the conventional voice data recording and reproducing apparatus needs to apply error correction to voice data read from the semiconductor memory such as flash memory. Generally, the voice data recording and reproducing apparatus uses a less powerful central processing unit (CPU). Despite the use of the USB path capable of fast data transfer, the time needed for this error correction bottlenecks a high-speed data transfer.
In view of the above-described drawbacks in the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a data transfer system and a data transfer method capable of high-speed data transfer.